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Barcelona, the city of the 5G living lab

The progressive rolling out of this technology brings us closer to the Internet of the future and here in Barcelona we have all the ingredients necessary to lead this evolution on a global level.
© MANUEL BLONDEAU/AOP.PRESS/CORBIS VIA GETTY IMAGES

The arrival of 5G is one of the greatest technological transformations of the past decades. Comparable to the move from land lines to mobile phones, with 5G you can create smart environments and advanced industries for both residents and emerging economic sectors. The progressive rolling out of this technology brings us closer to the Internet of the future and here in Barcelona we have all the ingredients necessary to lead this evolution on a global level.

In order to harness all the potential of 5G and create the right setting for implementing solutions in this area, Mobile World Capital Barcelona Foundation has launched the 5GBarcelona initiative in conjunction with the Barcelona City Council, Government of Catalonia, i2CAT Foundation, CTTC, UPC and Atos. Through this project, we will make Barcelona an open, neutral 5G living lab that, beyond developing only infrastructures, also offers a space to test, pilot and validate 5G services and technology. At the same time, this initiative will also boost the city’s existing innovation ecosystem, help attract foreign investment, promote technology start-ups and encourage development of the local business fabric.

5GBarcelona is already working in several areas that, for example, allow us to go into a connected operating room where surgeons collaborate remotely on the surgery or to see how connected industrial vehicles move around a civil-works site autonomously

We can say, then, that leading development of 5G technology here in Barcelona will allow us to implement cutting-edge big-data solutions, extend the presence of connected vehicles, encourage use of virtual reality and normalise the Internet of Things in our city. In fact, 5GBarcelona is already working in several areas that, for example, allow us to go into a connected operating room where surgeons collaborate remotely on the surgery or to see how connected industrial vehicles move around a civil-works site autonomously. On a technical level, the arrival of 5G technology will give us more powerful, faster mobile bandwidth, ultra-reliable communications with low latency, increase the number of devices connected to the network 100-fold, and, finally, reduce the network’s power use by 90%. In short, this commitment will allow us to position the city at the forefront of a new generation of mobile technology.

To better understand the implications of this change, let’s look at some simple examples. When you open the browser on your mobile in public, it often takes a few seconds for the page to start loading and, when it does, it loads quickly. This isn’t due to your data plan or speed, it’s a result of the response time of today’s 3G and 4G networks. This response time is the network latency, which will be drastically reduced with 5G and open up new opportunities for personal and business use.

For example, in managing fleets of vehicles, reducing latency will allow us to supervise them remotely or even without any human intervention. Likewise, 5G will also entail changes in how we manage municipal services. With sensors throughout the city, councils will be able to incorporate solutions linked to the Internet of Things, including lighting and waste management, with personalised service depending on the data collected. There are as many possibilities as we can imagine, as are there technological challenges still to overcome. This is why a proposal like this one in Barcelona is key to bringing 5G research into a real setting to be prototyped and validated with guarantees, and to break down the existing barriers between research and commerce to offer solutions that can be applied in any area of business.

In a setting of maximum disruption like today’s, here in Barcelona we have to capitalise on the opportunities 5G has to offer and be aware of the direct implications it can have on the future of the economy. It is essential that, as the digital hub of southern Europe, we take advantage of the impact of rolling out 5G services, which can generate up to €130 billion per year and 2.3 million jobs all over the continent. With 5GBarcelona, between 10% and 15% of these amounts could impact our area, making us the third largest 5G economy in Europe.

It is essential that, as the digital hub of southern Europe, we take advantage of the impact of rolling out 5G services, which can generate up to €130 billion per year and 2.3 million jobs all over the continent

5GBarcelona has been created with the resources and desire to build a project with international reach, based in Barcelona and for the world, to maximise the impact of 5G technology on city residents and business. As a long-term project, it will have to progressively increase its radius of action and add new industrial agents to prototype more solutions and apply them to specific economic sectors. This dynamic will allow us to evolve 5GBarcelona, generate more sectorial pilot programmes and bring research projects to life to improve residents’ daily lives.

Over the coming months, we’ll start to see how 5GBarcelona translates and the applications this technology will have. In fact, at the GSMA Mobile World Congress we will see the first uses being developed. 5GBarcelona opens the doors to the Internet of the future and creates a place where there is room for everyone. Get ready to experience one of the greatest technological revolutions in recent history, from home.

1.Pedro Calef
2.Maria Díaz-Morera
3. Ignasi Ribas
© MANUEL BLONDEAU/AOP.PRESS/CORBIS VIA GETTY IMAGES

Barcelona, the city of the 5G living lab

The progressive rolling out of this technology brings us closer to the Internet of the future and here in Barcelona we have all the ingredients necessary to lead this evolution on a global level.

The arrival of 5G is one of the greatest technological transformations of the past decades. Comparable to the move from land lines to mobile phones, with 5G you can create smart environments and advanced industries for both residents and emerging economic sectors. The progressive rolling out of this technology brings us closer to the Internet of the future and here in Barcelona we have all the ingredients necessary to lead this evolution on a global level.

In order to harness all the potential of 5G and create the right setting for implementing solutions in this area, Mobile World Capital Barcelona Foundation has launched the 5GBarcelona initiative in conjunction with the Barcelona City Council, Government of Catalonia, i2CAT Foundation, CTTC, UPC and Atos. Through this project, we will make Barcelona an open, neutral 5G living lab that, beyond developing only infrastructures, also offers a space to test, pilot and validate 5G services and technology. At the same time, this initiative will also boost the city’s existing innovation ecosystem, help attract foreign investment, promote technology start-ups and encourage development of the local business fabric.

5GBarcelona is already working in several areas that, for example, allow us to go into a connected operating room where surgeons collaborate remotely on the surgery or to see how connected industrial vehicles move around a civil-works site autonomously

We can say, then, that leading development of 5G technology here in Barcelona will allow us to implement cutting-edge big-data solutions, extend the presence of connected vehicles, encourage use of virtual reality and normalise the Internet of Things in our city. In fact, 5GBarcelona is already working in several areas that, for example, allow us to go into a connected operating room where surgeons collaborate remotely on the surgery or to see how connected industrial vehicles move around a civil-works site autonomously. On a technical level, the arrival of 5G technology will give us more powerful, faster mobile bandwidth, ultra-reliable communications with low latency, increase the number of devices connected to the network 100-fold, and, finally, reduce the network’s power use by 90%. In short, this commitment will allow us to position the city at the forefront of a new generation of mobile technology.

To better understand the implications of this change, let’s look at some simple examples. When you open the browser on your mobile in public, it often takes a few seconds for the page to start loading and, when it does, it loads quickly. This isn’t due to your data plan or speed, it’s a result of the response time of today’s 3G and 4G networks. This response time is the network latency, which will be drastically reduced with 5G and open up new opportunities for personal and business use.

For example, in managing fleets of vehicles, reducing latency will allow us to supervise them remotely or even without any human intervention. Likewise, 5G will also entail changes in how we manage municipal services. With sensors throughout the city, councils will be able to incorporate solutions linked to the Internet of Things, including lighting and waste management, with personalised service depending on the data collected. There are as many possibilities as we can imagine, as are there technological challenges still to overcome. This is why a proposal like this one in Barcelona is key to bringing 5G research into a real setting to be prototyped and validated with guarantees, and to break down the existing barriers between research and commerce to offer solutions that can be applied in any area of business.

In a setting of maximum disruption like today’s, here in Barcelona we have to capitalise on the opportunities 5G has to offer and be aware of the direct implications it can have on the future of the economy. It is essential that, as the digital hub of southern Europe, we take advantage of the impact of rolling out 5G services, which can generate up to €130 billion per year and 2.3 million jobs all over the continent. With 5GBarcelona, between 10% and 15% of these amounts could impact our area, making us the third largest 5G economy in Europe.

It is essential that, as the digital hub of southern Europe, we take advantage of the impact of rolling out 5G services, which can generate up to €130 billion per year and 2.3 million jobs all over the continent

5GBarcelona has been created with the resources and desire to build a project with international reach, based in Barcelona and for the world, to maximise the impact of 5G technology on city residents and business. As a long-term project, it will have to progressively increase its radius of action and add new industrial agents to prototype more solutions and apply them to specific economic sectors. This dynamic will allow us to evolve 5GBarcelona, generate more sectorial pilot programmes and bring research projects to life to improve residents’ daily lives.

Over the coming months, we’ll start to see how 5GBarcelona translates and the applications this technology will have. In fact, at the GSMA Mobile World Congress we will see the first uses being developed. 5GBarcelona opens the doors to the Internet of the future and creates a place where there is room for everyone. Get ready to experience one of the greatest technological revolutions in recent history, from home.